Young Stars Dominate WSOPE

Thursday, October 20th, 2011 by Nadia

Jake Cody distinguished himself this year by coming out on top, winning the heads-up championship (with a $25,00 buy-in), which was the beginning of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2011 in Las Vegas. Once he had taken the third part of the poker Triple Crown, in one of the most formidable fields worldwide, he won two more cash prizes. This included the main event of the tournament. Since that moment, fans of the game have been watching and waiting for Cody’s next move. WSOPE looks promising for Cody this year.

Cody’s Winning Streak Continues

Cody will enter the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) main event (final table) ranked second in chip value with €2.7 million. Elio Fox, with €3.9 million, is ranked first. Cody began on Day 4 with fewer chips than many of the other players. However, after battling for a few hours, he took some chances with a few double-ups. Once past the initial hurdles, Cody proceeded to earn his place at the final table at one of the biggest events in the poker world. Additionally, Cody will be one of the only Europeans playing in the finals.

Bellagio Champions Face Off at WSOPE

Fox was ranked second based on the value of his chips until one of the final rounds on Wednesday. He then defeated Alex Dovzhenko and Arnaud Mattern while holding two 10s. He won $669,692 in July at the Bellagio Cup VII and has managed to position himself for an even bigger win at this event. Among his fellow competitors is Moritz Kranich, another winner of the Bellagio Cup. Kranich will also sit at the final table and will begin with €1.6 million. He is currently ranked at 7th place overall.

Moorman Enters Finals

Chris Moorman, one of the top online poker players in the world, won a place at the final table for the third time this year. He previously won second and third places at events hosted at Las Vegas. Though he has never managed to win a major title at a live tournament, he will have more experience playing at a final than any of the others he will be competing against. This is because the WSOP event is his sixth cash win of 2011. He won his bid for the final table by finishing his game with an Ace and a 7 against Patrik Antonius’ Ace and Queen.

Player of the Year Prospects

Moorman will start the final day (fourth) with €2.2 million. If he wins, he will be neck-to-neck with Ben Lamb for the ‘Player of the Year’ award. However, Lamb faces competition from more than one source. Shawn Buchanan, who finished second at the ‘Mix-Max’ event, may also be able to beat Lamb. This tournament is Buchanan’s fourth cash prize at WSOPE and his ninth cash prize at a WSOP event in 2011. He also has $4.1 million worth of winnings in live tournaments. Despite this, he has not yet been able to win a WSOP title. Nevertheless, he has secured the second place thrice. Though he will enter the game with fewer chips than his fellow players, there are 30 big blinds which will give him the opportunity to accumulate more winnings.